Chapter 6
Lee's first call was made to NIMR and Darren Fox. Darren, as head of security, was the only other person that knew of the autodestruct contingency for Seaview. It would also make sense that he would have alerted the Navy to the option once he'd been informed of the situation.
He instructed Fox to prepare two different sequences, so they were ready to roll regardless of how his dive scenario played out. The first signal would cover the parameters he described in the meeting. The second set would be an immediate detonation to prevent Weems and whoever was abetting them from planting and detonating a nuclear device and then disappearing with Seaview and crew.
Fox indicated he would have both sequences ready in an hour and would transmit them to Lee's ONI account for retrieval when he needed them. To his credit, Darren didn't seem at all surprised by the captain's instructions or balk in any way. He fully knew what was at stake and would carry out his charge to ensure that Seaview's secrets were never revealed, as was expected by Nelson, Crane, and Morton.
Lee also informed him that as far as NIMR and anyone else that should inquire was concerned, he had been killed in an auto accident while in Europe on TDY for the Navy. He had pointed out that someone in Logan's service had managed to arrange clearance for the WHOI team and would no doubt be watching closely as things developed. 'Good luck, Captain,' was his only acknowledgement of the risks his boss was taking on to try and save his boat, his crew, and his family.
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The phone rang twice. "Marquez," said the voice at the other end.
"Alberto, mi amigo. Como esta?" Lee replied.
"Bueno! How the hell are you, Lee?"
"I've been better, believe me."
"Oh? What's up?" Marquez inquired, immediately concerned at Lee's response.
"Al, we've got a situation where I need to dive deep, and given the depth I need to reach your liquid breathing system is the only way I can do it," Lee began.
"How deep you need to go?"
"About 3,400 feet," Lee answered. He waited for a response, but nothing came. "Hello? You still there?"
"What, did you find humor? There's no way in hell you can go that deep without an atmospheric diving suit," Marquez finally replied.
"No Al, I'm deadly serious. Something has happened to Seaview and I need to go to that depth, yet still have the ability to move with relative ease and get myself out of the water without assistance."
"Lee we've not tested this equipment anywhere near that depth. In fact, we've only gone a couple of hundred feet further than you went in the initial tests. This is way beyond the bounds of any of our experiences. Odds are you'd probably suffocate halfway there."
"Well aren't you a little ray of sunshine," Lee replied with a humorless chuckle. "I know the risks Al, but what's at risk outweighs that."
"Does Harri know about this? Surely you don't think he'd let you try this lame brained stunt?"
"That's who I'm going after, Al. Him and everyone else aboard Seaview. Because of the situation, the only way to access the boat is a lone diver via the moon pool. I really need your help on this."
"Lee… it would most likely be a one-way trip," Al responded with no small measure of exasperation.
"I understand that. Please help me out on this," Lee pleaded.
"I suppose you need all this right now?"
"How'd you guess?" Lee replied. He smiled knowing his friend was now committed to helping him out.
"It's against my better judgement, but all right, Lee. I'll do what I can," Marquez conceded. "First off when and where do you need us to be?"
"Thanks Al, I owe you big time. You've already guessed the when. ASAP doesn't even begin to describe the urgency. The where is Santa Barbara area by tomorrow evening."
"Damn Lee, that's not much time. I don't know if I can produce the amount of breathing medium you're going to need in that time. How much dive time are you going to need?"
"Based on average descent times in a diving bell to that depth, and then the time needed to access Seaview I'd guess at 45 minutes to an hour."
"Shit, you are barking mad. Are you starting from the surface and going down or what?"
"Yes I'm starting at the surface and will ride down on the bell until it hooks up with Seaview."
"You're kidding. Here's a novel approach, why not go down INSIDE the bell?" Al replied incredulously.
"The occupants of the bell can't know I'm along for the ride. This is stealth all the way. Once they touch down and hook up with Seaview I detach, make my way to the moon pool, and climb aboard."
"Lee, these tanks and associated gear are only marginally smaller than an AT suit. It's going to be a struggle to move at all, let alone trying to climb up into the sub."
"Believe me, I've thought through this entire dive and have made accommodations for that. Countless lives are depending on us Al, work with me on this."
"Okay Lee, I'm with you. I'll turn my team on to ginning up a big batch of our most recent liquid and readying a dive rig. I'll give you a call when we're ready to roll."
"Thanks, Al," Lee said as he released an audible sigh. "The Navy will have a transport team en route to your lab right after I hang up, so you're ready to roll the minute everything is done."
"You will tell me what this is all about won't you?" Marquez asked.
"Should I survive, you betcha," Lee responded with a laugh. "Be seeing you soon, and thanks Al, you're a life saver." He hung up and blew out another gust of air. He then picked up the receiver and dialed Starke's direct number.
"Starke," said the gruff voice at the other end.
"Admiral, Crane here. The diving plan is a go. Marquez at NRL is preparing a batch of their diving liquid and assembling their gear for immediate transport. We just need someone there to pick it up and transport it and them to NIMR or wherever you intend to stage operations for the transfer."
"Understood, Commander. I'll put my staff on the logistics as soon as we hang up. How about the autodestruct instructions?"
"It should be ready for me now. Our security officer was going to transmit them to my ONI secure account as soon as he finished. If you can hold one, I'll log in and check my account," Lee replied.
"Go ahead, I'll stand by."
Lee quickly turned on the computer in the office and logged into his account. He scrolled rapidly through the numerous emails until he found what he was looking for. "Both sets of instructions are here and ready for transmission, Admiral."
"Very well. Report to my office immediately so we can go over everything before we're contacted by Weems."
"Aye sir, on my way."
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Fifteen minutes later Lee knocked on Starke's door and was called in. He acknowledged both Starke and Hardy as dictates required and nodded to the two senior ONI agents who had accompanied Hardy. He'd worked with both before and knew them to be among the best ONI had.
"At ease, Commander. Are you all set?" Starke asked.
"Yes sir," Lee replied and displayed a small digital recording device.
"So how do you need this to go down to successfully initiate the autodestruct sequence?" Hardy inquired.
"When you are contacted by Weems, make him prove to you that Admiral Nelson is there and able to respond to questions. It would be extremely beneficial to have Commander Morton there as well as back up to ensure one of them sees the telltales. Once you've verified their presence and condition, proceed with your negotiations and I will play the signal which will be picked up by Seaview's computer. There will be no audible tone as it is transmitted at an ultrahigh frequency. It should go undetected by whomever is operating the radio, especially if it isn't our Sparks."
"Very well," Hardy replied. "So Jiggs said we're going with your dive plan. You really think you can pull this off, Crane?"
"I think I have a better than average shot at doing this, sir. It beats not trying at all and hopefully will save some very important lives," Lee answered.
Hardy and Starke shook their heads in mild amusement. Neither could recall Crane ever backing away from a challenge and with Nelson, Morton, and his boat and crew at stake he would give it a try regardless of the risks. Hell, if even remotely feasible he would try to free dive down to the boat to try and gain access.
"What else do we need now?" Starke asked.
"NIMR has a diving bell but we'll need a ship to transport it to the dive site," Lee offered.
"Excellent. I'll have a Navy ship dispatched to your facility to pick it up," Starke answered. "I've also got a number of subs in or moving into the general vicinity to keep their ears open for encroachment of any foreign submarines, along with heightened scrutiny of all monitoring systems both terrestrially and in space. Two of the boats have already indicated they have run off a PR sub cruising in the general vicinity."
"ONI is coordinating with the Bureau of Corrections for Logan's transfer of custody from them to us. Oberg and Styles here will be in charge of seeing that Logan is picked up and delivered to California without incident. He will be kept incommunicado until he is released from the bell when it is secured to Seaview," Hardy provided.
"So have you worked out how you're going to seize back control of the boat, Crane?" Starke asked.
"Probably the same way they did it, I'm assuming. Once I'm onboard via the moon pool, I'll make my way down to the air revitalization unit and deposit a few gas grenades laced with sedatives. That should render everyone unconscious. When they go down, I'll secure the bad guys and release the crew."
Starke nodded and bit back a smile at Crane's voiced total belief in them and himself in pulling off this rescue. He looked down at his watch and grimaced. "All right gentlemen, it's time to return to the command center, Weems should be calling in the next 30 minutes."
They all rose and Starke and Hardy led the way back down into the catacombs of the Pentagon to await the call.
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As they entered the room, most of the same players from the first meeting had already assembled. The SECDEF, CNO, and NSA were in their seats chatting amongst themselves. They looked up as Starke led in his team and took their places.
"How go the preparations, Jiggs?" James asked.
"It looks as though we're all set to go with Commander Crane's plan. NRL has mobilized to produce sufficient breathing solution and have it and the dive gear transported to NIMR. We will be using NIMR's diving bell to conduct the transfer and the cruiser USS Bunker Hill has been dispatched from San Diego to pick up the bell and act as our staging craft for this operation. Multiple subs have been pulled into the general area, ringing Seaview's position and two of them have already run off a sub from the PR which suddenly appeared. I think we can be fairly certain who Logan is relying on for support. We have constant ASW aircraft patrolling the area as well, in addition to our normal monitoring systems. Commander Crane has the appropriate autodestruct sequences programmed and ready for deployment once we are in contact with the boat and we are satisfied that Nelson is present and able to communicate. Admiral Hardy has been in contact with the prison officials and has dispatched two of his agents to take custody of Logan and transport him to NIMR. We are ready to act and react as the situation demands."
"Well done, gentlemen. So Commander, you still think you can pull off this dive and get safely aboard Seaview?" Voss inquired.
"Yes sir. I have no doubts that we will be successful in rescuing Seaview and her crew," Lee answered with absolute conviction. Voss smiled and shook his head slightly as he admired the belief this young man had in himself and their strike force.
At precisely 1600 hours Comms notified them that Seaview was on the line. "You ready to go Jiggs?" James asked. Starke nodded. "All right, pipe it down," James ordered. They heard the line go live.
"Starke here."
"Ah Admiral so nice of you to be punctual. So have you given thought to my terms?" Weems inquired.
"Yes we have. We are prepared to meet them as long as we have sufficient assurances that we will get back Seaview along with Admiral Nelson and his crew," Starke began.
Weems laughed. "You know we have no intention of giving you back the boat or Nelson. Assuming you deliver on what we've demanded, we will eventually release the crew and not destroy the west coast. Do we now completely understand each other Admiral?"
"Yes, your position is totally clear," Starke ground out. "Before we go any further, I need to know that Admiral Nelson and Captain Morton are unharmed."
"You're in no position to set any terms, Admiral," Weems fired back.
"Then we will take it that they have already been dispatched. I am therefore prepared to order the naval vessels you have detected above you, to bomb you to hell and back," Starke answered tersely. "Admiral James, I believe our course is now clear."
"Wait! Wait, give me a moment to have Nelson and Morton brought to the radio shack," Weems sputtered as he folded under Starke's pressure.
"You have 5 minutes," Starke responded, a smile that would have made a great white shark shiver in fear spread across his face.
Two minutes later Nelson's voice was heard over the channel. "Jiggs, Nelson here. Captain Morton is here with me."
"Glad to hear you're hanging in there Harri," Starke replied and let loose a silent sigh of relief. "All right, Weems how does this all play out?"
"Our demands are unchanged. You will deliver Mr. Logan and Captain Crane to this submarine via diving bell within 24 hours. Any divergence from that schedule, and we will start releasing the crew one at a time through the torpedo tubes," Weems taunted.
"I can't give you Crane," Starke informed him.
"Those are our terms, Admiral. Deliver Captain Crane or we will kill the crew and destroy the west coast!"
"Harri, it's Tom Hardy," Hardy broke in after Starke gave him the cue.
"Tom, what's happened?" Harri asked hesitantly.
"Harri, I would have much preferred to tell you this in private, but there was an incident as Commander Crane was returning from his reserve training. He was killed in a massive auto accident, something that he could have just as easily encountered on I-5. Harri I'm so sorry for your loss, I know how close the two of you were."
Nelson and Morton both swayed slightly at the shocking news. Harri felt as though his knees were about to buckle. Chip laid his hand lightly on the older man's shoulder trying to give and receive some consoling support.
Weems stared intently at the two men. They were quite obviously stunned by the news, yet there was something about their reactions that said the report of his death wasn't wholly unexpected. It was an unanticipated setback, but Logan would have to take his vengeance out on Morton instead of Crane.
As the silence stretched out, Lee depressed the play button on his recorder and transmitted the destruct sequence as planned. They all listened intently for any indication that the hijackers had detected anything out of the ordinary. To their relief no one made mention of the telltales illuminating unexpectedly.
"Are…are you sure Tom? When? Did it involve a semi and a bus?" Nelson inquired quietly as he remembered the news report of the massive deadly accident in Slovestein days before they departed.
"Yes Harri, we are quite sure. We have fully vetted the report. It happened three days before you sailed. We found out and confirmed the report two days after you left. And yes, a bus and semi were the root cause of the accident. If it's of any consolation, he died instantaneously. He was never in any pain," Hardy offered. "Again, I am so sorry Harri. He was one hell of an officer and I know to you and Morton, a dear friend."
"Thanks for that information Tom, that helps a great deal. Could I ask you one favor, Tom?" Harri replied shakily.
"If it's within my power, of course Harri."
"Make sure my son comes home." Harri's request stunned them all. It had long been acknowledged by many that knew both men that there existed a father/son bond, but to hear Harriman Nelson speak of it astounded them all, especially Lee. Lee hung his head in shame at putting Harri and Chip through this pain.
"Of course Harri. We've already initiated recovery operations and will bring him back home where he belongs," Hardy replied solemnly.
"Harri, you have my deepest condolences. I know that Lee was very important to both you and Morton," Jiggs added.
"This is all very touching," Weems cut in, refocusing the conversation. "We will then expect you to deliver Mr. Logan as described. You have until 1600 hours tomorrow to be knocking on Seaview's hatch or we will take very definitive actions to prod you into compliance."
"Understood Weems. We are mobilizing the assets we need now. Once we have everything in place we will contact you. Don't think you're getting away with anything Weems, you have no idea how long our reach is and we will ensure that you never see the light of day again," Starke replied coldly.
"Don't antagonize me, Admiral. I might be inclined to return some of Nelson's crewmen early," Weems snarled back. "Weems out!" The line went dead and those in the room sat silently for a moment as everyone processed what had been revealed.
"Do you think they bought it?" Voss asked.
"If we go by Harri's reaction, I think so. What do you think, Crane? Was Harri acting or genuinely reacting?" Starke inquired.
"He sounded honestly surprised and shocked based on my experiences with him, sir. By the same token, he would also assume that you would never turn me over to a foreign power to protect the information I'm privy to," Lee answered quietly as he kicked himself for the heart wrenching yet necessary subterfuge. Both Harri and Chip would understand in the long run, but would no doubt give him hell for putting them through that emotional wringer. "Also based on what I didn't hear, no one on Weems' team noticed the autodestruct had been set. So regardless of my efforts on the dive, we are covered when it comes to preventing Seaview from falling into enemy hands."
"Very good," Fielding acknowledged. "Well I think we've done all we can for now. We all have our assignments, so let's get to them."
Everyone nodded in agreement, rose from the table and began filing out of the room. When all but James, Fielding and Voss had left, Voss issued a quick snort of disbelief and shook his head. His companions turned a quick eye to him.
"What?" asked James.
"I have to honestly say that Commander Crane is one of the most remarkable men I've ever met. I was somewhat ticked that we had to wait for the arrival of a junior officer before we could start to plan our response, but I'm incredibly glad we did. He essentially set our course single handedly and has directed us all to where he wants to go. He's taking the lion's share of the risks and thinks only of the safety of his crew and vessel. He leads so easily, yet seems sincerely unaware of his powers," Voss explained.
Fielding and James laughed and nodded in agreement. "Now you know why Nelson literally blackmailed the President and the Navy for his release. You can also understand why Starke and Hardy are constantly fighting for access to him, and trying to woo him back to full time service," James replied.
"After being in his presence and listening to his absolute certainty that this will succeed, I honestly feel we stand a chance of pulling this whole thing off, and that's something I never expected. I just hope he's as good as he thinks he is," Voss said.
"As do we all, and based on his past performance he is," Fielding added. "Come on gents, we have our own tasks to complete in this drama."
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As the connection was severed, Nelson sunk slowly into the chair next to the radio as he processed Hardy's news. He somehow knew something had gone wrong; Lee should have been back at least two days before they sailed. Chip once again placed his hand on his shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze.
"All right you two back to the nose," Weems ordered. Two of his men moved forward and waved their guns in Nelson's and Morton's faces indicating they needed to move now.
Harri pushed back up to his feet and they walked listlessly back to the nose reclaiming their seats. They were quickly tethered to their chairs and the muscle left returning to Weems for further instructions.
"Are you okay, sir?" Chip asked quietly once the goons were out of earshot.
"I seriously doubt I ever will be again," Nelson replied in a near whisper. "How about you, lad? How are you holding up?"
"So you do believe Admiral Hardy," Chip stated more than asked, and received a slow nod of confirmation.
"Tom sounded quite sincere. We both know however they would never allow Lee to fall into enemy hands, he has far too much ONI info floating around in his head to permit that," Nelson explained. "But this is all too plausible since I had a feeling he was in that country."
"I feel like I've been sucker punched in the gut, sir. I always feared this would happen to him, yet I always figured he would somehow evade death like usual. I never pictured him running out of luck and in an auto accident of all things." They sat quietly for a long moment. "Sir, did you notice the dive board while we were in the control room?"
"Yes, I did. It's some consolation knowing that Weems and crew will be going down with us," Harri answered. "Apparently Jiggs, et al have been in touch with Mr. Fox at NIMR. I wonder when it will all go boom?"
"Nothing like a surprise ending," Chip offered with a humorless grin.
"I can't believe they're not going to try and gain control, but at this point in time I can't envision how they would do it. Their sonar operator is on par with Kowalski, so it's unlikely he'll miss anything approaching the boat."
"We can only hope they've come up with something that none of us have envisioned," Chip replied. "God I could use a stiff drink."
"Me too, lad. We both know the men involved so I hold out hope that somehow they'll find a way to retake the boat. Should we survive this, we'll have that drink and toast Lee, wherever fate has taken him. For now, keep alert and look for ways we can work our way loose."
"Aye, sir."
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